Coupling for railway draft gears



y 1930. 1-. .1. WARD COUPLING FOR RAILWAY DRAFT GEARS Filed March 17. 1928 J W C.

a my 4 3 m Z 7 l k flml Z1- Ii r/- m L- EM ZA W/ v M I I d 2 y W W Patented July 1, 1936 warren stares rarest; QFHCSE THOMAS JAMES WARD, OF -WHITE HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA COUPLING FOR RAILWAY DRAFT GEARS Application filed Marchf17, 1928. Serial No. 262,435

."- being readily insertable transversely through the timbers and draw bar and having means whereby they are fastened securely in position so as not to become accidentally detached when oltecl or subjected to other rough usage.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invent-ion resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the de tails of construction hereinafter described I and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings, Figure 1 1s a top plan View of a draft gear having the present improvements combined therewith, parts of the draw bar being broken away. 7

Figure 2 is'a side elevation of the draft gear having the present improvements, a part of the car structure being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the draw bar and coupler.

Figure 4: is a section online k4, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of one of the locklng keys,

" the latch thereon being in position for in sertion through the draw bar.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section on line 66, Figure 5. I

Figure 7 is a plan View of a modified form of key and latch.

Figure 8 is an end View thereof showing the latch turned to retaining position, the holding lug being in section, on the line 8--8, Figure 7.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates draft timbers spaced apart to receive between them the draw bar 2 of a car coupler 3. Formed within these timbers are transversely extending alining slots 4 adapted to register with corresponding slots 5 formed in the draw bar 2. An additional slot (Sis also formed in each timber l at the forward end thereof so that a key, such as constitutes the present invention, can be in sorted through these slots and extend under the draw bar as shown particularly in Figure 2.

For the purpose of holding the draw bar in position fiat keys 7 are employed, each of these keys being insertable through the alining slots 4' and 5 and through the slotsv 6. Each key has a head or enlargment ,8 at one end while its other endis forked as shown at 9, there-being a ledge 10 at the inner end of the fork. A pivot 11 is extended transversely through the fork and supports a triangular latch-12-adapted, when raised into alinement with the key 7, to bear at its inneror small end on the ledge 10. These relative positions of the parts have been illustrated in Figure 5. A'notch 13 is formed in the inner side I of one member of the forked end of the key and formed on the adjacent side of the latch 12 is a corresponding lugl l. The lower surface of the lug is beveled and the lower wall 70 of the notch 18 is also-beveled. When the latch 12 is raised to alining position asshown in Figure 5 soas to. rest on the ledge 10,it can thereafter be shifted laterally along its pivot pin 11 so as to cause the lug 14 to enter recess or notch 13 and hold the latch in released position, if so desired- With the parts positioned as described the key 7 can be inserted throughthe slots and any slight jolting thereof will cause the latch 12 to become disengaged from the forked end of the key with the result that said latch will swing downwardly by gravity toretaining position as shown in Figures 2 and 4. This action will take place because the latch has oneof itsendsheavier than the other and as soon as lug 1 f isunseated from the notch 13 the latch will swing to an upstanding position. The lug 14 will then drop to position where it will catch under one side of the 9. forked end of the key and hold the latch in upstanding position. Consequently it becomes impossible to withdraw the key 7 until the latch is lifted back to the position illustrated inFigure 5 so as to permit it to be inserted into one of the slots during the withdrawal 7 of the key.

Instead of mounting the latch as shown in Fi ures 1 to 6 inclusive, an angular stud 15, shown in section in Figure 8, can be extended from one end of a key 17. A latch 18 can be pivotally mounted on this stud, there being a key hole slot 19 in the latch through which the stud projects. This stud is held securely by a rivet 16. The head 20 of the stud of course holds the latch against separation from the key 7. By turning the latch so that it will lie in the same plane with key 7, said key and latch can be inserted through alining slots after which the key, being mounted ofi center, will swing to an upstanding position and drop downwardly on the stud so that the angular portion of said stud will become seated in the narrow portion of the key hole slot 19.

- The latch will be held by the means de- 7 scribed against displacement should the structure become j oltedand it is not possible, therefore, to withdraw the key 17 from the draft gear without first lifting the latch, swinging it into alinement with the key, and then withdrawing the key and latch.

What is claimed is:

l 1. In a device of the class described a key having a fork at one end with diverging members, a latch tapered to provide a heavy end portion and a light end portion, said latch being pivotally mounted in the fork and mov able by gravity to position substantially at i right angles to the key, and cooperating means on the fork and on the heavy end portion of the latch for holding said latch against move ment relativeto the key when flush therewith, said latch being movable bodily along its piyotal axis to bring said holding means into engagement with each other, thereby to hold the latch flush with the key. r

2. In a device of the class described a key having a fork at one end with diverging members, a latch tapered to provide a heavy end 7 portion and a light end portion, said latch being pivotally mounted in the fork and movable by gravity to position substantially at right angles to the key, there being a notch in one member of the fork, and a lug extending laterally from the heavy end portionof the latch, said latch being movable bodily along its pivotal axis to seat the lug in the notch and hold the latch flush with the key.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

THOMAS JAMES 

